The South Australian Government is calling for expressions of interest for the $238 million Torrens Junction Project in Adelaide.
The project involves separating the freight and passenger rail lines at the Torrens Junction and creating a rail underpass to remove the level crossings at Park Terrace and Gibson Street.
The development is aimed at improving productivity on the national rail freight network and traffic flows on the Inner Ring Route.
The finished project will allow 1800-metre long freight trains to operate between Adelaide and Melbourne, increasing the maximum length of the trains by about 20 per cent.
It will also remove the need for freight trains to stop for Outer Harbor line passenger trains.
“This project will deliver vast benefits across the economy, from productivity gains for the rail freight industry to the road improvements for commuters, transport operators and people who derive an income from our roads, such as couriers and delivery drivers,” said Transport and Infrastructure Minister Stephen Mullighan in a statement.
“About 11 freight trains travel through the Torrens Junction every day, closing the Torrens Road and Hawker Street level crossings for up to six minutes each time.
This project is expected to cut the time motorists spend waiting at these level crossings by more than half, improving travel times for the 25,500 vehicles on Torrens Road each day and the 5,500 vehicles using Hawker Street.”
Torrens Junction is part of the Goodwood and Torrens Junctions Upgrade, which also includes a new pedestrian and cycling overpass at Goodwood, as well as level crossing safety improvements at Leader Street.